Marlene38EE
Loves Spam
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2008
- Posts
- 163
Not sure, understandably, how many of you reading this know the details and nitty-gritty of Adult Breastfeeding and Adult Nursing Relationships, but there's a lot of folks out there who just have it plain wrong.
We're all for individuality and self-determination...obviously, but there's so damn much misinformation and such floating around regarding ABF/ANR that I have to say something.
First, the level of committment and determination to the relationship isn't someting that can be considered 'optional'. A breast-pump is a necessity, and can prevent engorgement, but the best way to relieve breasts of milk is the way evolution intended...a hungry, suckling mouth.
To date there's no such thing as a breast-pump that truly replicates the action of suckling, and any women out there also engaged in ABF/ANR or who have had children know what I mean.
My husband places our relationship first and foremost all the time, and adjusts plans and such around it quite a bit. He's seen me suffer engorgement when he was stuck in traffic behind an accident and couldn't get home for a good few hours. The following day, we went out shopping for a breast pump, and bought two. One a full-size electrical and another smaller, portable completely manual electricity-free model, just in case.
Bras...always get you bras fitted properly by people who actually know what they're doing. Always. Especially Nursing Bras. I had some trouble early on in getting my production up despite managing to induce lacttion rather easily...because my bra was too tight, not much, but enough to cause a problem without my being able to figure it out. The scale of the issue? My band-size was one inch too small. When that was addressed, I had no problems with incrasing my milk production.
The Let-Down reflex...
I don't know if this happens to many women, but it's an issue for me, so I'll address it as maybe-useful info for others.
When a mother hears her baby cry, or even thinks about her baby, her Let-Down reflex kicks in and her breasts start leaking/emitting milk in response.
The same thing, in my case, occurs regarding my husband.
I think about him, specifically about him nursing from me, and I almost need to wring my blouse out.
Two words from him, specifically; "I'm hungry." and again, I need a dry shirt.
Nursing pads help a lot, and there's no getting around it, it's a fact of breastfeeding...at least in my case. I have, on occasion, resorted to using maxipads in my bra to deal with leakage...easier to find, and they work really well, with more coverage from nipple to following the downward curve of the breast, but they take a little bit of getting used-to.
...I had to improvise one day, and it worked out very well.
What do I get out of it??
A lot.
Emotional and psychological satisfaction and feelings that are very difficult to really put into words. Physical non-sexual pleasurable sensations in breasts and my womb.
My husband finds it extremely difficult to verbally express his appreciation regarding it, but he makes up for it and then some with all kinds of little gestures to make sure I know without a doubt he does appreciate our ANR.
Increased general sensitivity and/or specific-area sensitivity.
I've asked around...as discreetly as I know how, and this seems to be a wild-card that entirely depends upon the individual woman's body.
In my case, I've noticed increased sensitivity all over, but especially my breasts, particularly my areolae and nipples as well as my genital area.
The only thing I can say is, give yourself a chance to get accustomed to it, despite the initial discomforts and such...it's worth it, I like to think.
We're all for individuality and self-determination...obviously, but there's so damn much misinformation and such floating around regarding ABF/ANR that I have to say something.
First, the level of committment and determination to the relationship isn't someting that can be considered 'optional'. A breast-pump is a necessity, and can prevent engorgement, but the best way to relieve breasts of milk is the way evolution intended...a hungry, suckling mouth.
To date there's no such thing as a breast-pump that truly replicates the action of suckling, and any women out there also engaged in ABF/ANR or who have had children know what I mean.
My husband places our relationship first and foremost all the time, and adjusts plans and such around it quite a bit. He's seen me suffer engorgement when he was stuck in traffic behind an accident and couldn't get home for a good few hours. The following day, we went out shopping for a breast pump, and bought two. One a full-size electrical and another smaller, portable completely manual electricity-free model, just in case.
Bras...always get you bras fitted properly by people who actually know what they're doing. Always. Especially Nursing Bras. I had some trouble early on in getting my production up despite managing to induce lacttion rather easily...because my bra was too tight, not much, but enough to cause a problem without my being able to figure it out. The scale of the issue? My band-size was one inch too small. When that was addressed, I had no problems with incrasing my milk production.
The Let-Down reflex...
I don't know if this happens to many women, but it's an issue for me, so I'll address it as maybe-useful info for others.
When a mother hears her baby cry, or even thinks about her baby, her Let-Down reflex kicks in and her breasts start leaking/emitting milk in response.
The same thing, in my case, occurs regarding my husband.
I think about him, specifically about him nursing from me, and I almost need to wring my blouse out.
Two words from him, specifically; "I'm hungry." and again, I need a dry shirt.
Nursing pads help a lot, and there's no getting around it, it's a fact of breastfeeding...at least in my case. I have, on occasion, resorted to using maxipads in my bra to deal with leakage...easier to find, and they work really well, with more coverage from nipple to following the downward curve of the breast, but they take a little bit of getting used-to.
...I had to improvise one day, and it worked out very well.
What do I get out of it??
A lot.
Emotional and psychological satisfaction and feelings that are very difficult to really put into words. Physical non-sexual pleasurable sensations in breasts and my womb.
My husband finds it extremely difficult to verbally express his appreciation regarding it, but he makes up for it and then some with all kinds of little gestures to make sure I know without a doubt he does appreciate our ANR.
Increased general sensitivity and/or specific-area sensitivity.
I've asked around...as discreetly as I know how, and this seems to be a wild-card that entirely depends upon the individual woman's body.
In my case, I've noticed increased sensitivity all over, but especially my breasts, particularly my areolae and nipples as well as my genital area.
The only thing I can say is, give yourself a chance to get accustomed to it, despite the initial discomforts and such...it's worth it, I like to think.
